Building Business, Backing People & Managing Complexity: Embedded Conversations - David Freer Ep 12
From Embedded · 34:35
Show by jig5cr69yjtrj
In this episode of Embedded Conversations, Scott McKenzie is joined by David Freer, entrepreneur, investor and business leader who has built, scaled and successfully sold multiple companies over the past two decades. Today, David works across a portfolio of 12 businesses spanning healthcare, education, construction and professional services. Collectively, those organisations generate more than £130million in annual turnover, but what makes David particularly interesting is the role he plays behind the scenes, helping leadership teams navigate growth, complexity and long term business success. In this conversation, David shares his philosophy on building businesses, backing founders and spotting potential. He explains how his thinking has evolved from running companies day to day to supporting leaders as an investor, adviser and non-executive director. Scott and David explore what separates successful founders from those who struggle, why track record and integrity matter when assessing opportunities and how business leaders can build organisations that are capable of scaling beyond the individual. The discussion also looks at resilience, decision making, managing multiple priorities, navigating uncertainty and why enjoying the journey is often more important than focusing solely on the destination. Along the way, David shares lessons from business, golf and even running the London Marathon that continue to shape how he approaches leadership today. For those working with the NHS, there is also an interesting discussion around innovation, risk, change and why organisations often struggle to adopt new approaches despite recognising their potential value. This is a practical, honest conversation about leadership, growth, resilience and what it really takes to build successful organisations over the long term. If you’re facing a specific NHS challenge, book an Ask Scott session. https://scottmckenzieconsultancy.com/ask-scott/ You’ll have one focused hour with Scott to explore the issue, test your thinking and identify your next steps. Subscribe for more insights from Scott, and sign up to his fortnightly bulletin for the latest on selling better to the NHS: https://scottmckenzieconsultancy.com/newsletter/
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